Thanksgiving
by lindsay77
Summary: This is the 3 shot series that I wrote for TH Holiday Challenge.
1. Thanksgiving

Sam sat on the couch in the penthouse rubbing her now ever visible belly. It was Thanksgiving and they were due to her mother's house soon. When her mom told her that she was going to be hosting Thanksgiving dinner and asked that Sam and Jason come with Danny, a part of Sam wanted to tell her that they were going to Monica's. Sam knew that her mother was lying to her about her drinking. Sam wanted to be supportive of her considering everything that she had been put through but it was getting to a point where she just couldn't. Sam knew her mother very well and she knew when she was lying. She had been drinking while she was watching Danny and Sam wasn't going to have that happen again. She hadn't told Jason yet but when she went to pick Danny up one of her mom's neighbors had stopped her and asked if her mother was alright because of all the smoke that had been coming from her place. Alexis told her the cookies had burned but apparently, she had down played it. And if that wasn't bad enough, Danny had been having nightmares about smoke for the past few days.

Sam sighed deeply and shook her head. "What was that for?" She looked up and saw her husband, the love of her life, coming out of the kitchen. "Are you okay? Is the baby moving a lot again?" he went on, sitting down next to her.

Sam smiled and said "No, baby is fine. I was just thinking about my mom."

Jason scooted closer to her and put his arm around her "What is the matter?"

"She is lying to me. I know she is. She had been drinking. To be honest, I don't think she stopped."

"What makes you say that?" he asked. "When I went to pick up Danny the other day before Morgan's funeral, I saw that there was a glass and bottle of wine out She said that Laura had stopped by and after the whole Valintine thing, she offered her a glass but she had none."

"Ok so what makes you think that that isn't true?" he asked.

"I know my mom, Jason. I know when she is lying. Danny said that when the cookies were done, he tried to wake her up but she wouldn't move. He said he shook her an everything. My mother has never fallen asleep when she is watching Danny. She said that she caught it in time and that there was only minimal smoke but after we left, her neighbor asked if she was ok because of all the smoke she saw coming from the house."

Jason looked down at his wife's worried face and placed his hand over hers on her belly "Your mom has been going through a lot…"

"I know she has. And I want to give her the benefit of the doubt but not at the expense of our son. He could have been seriously hurt and he has been having nightmares because of it."

Jason nodded his head in agreement "So maybe you should just talk to her."

"Oh I am" Sam said "and I am pretty sure I know how it is going to go." Sam said.

Sam and Jason got to her mom's house with Danny and Sam could tell that her mother had already had a few drinks. She looked to her sisters who seemed oblivious to it but Sam knew the signs all too well. Danny ran over and sat between his aunts. Carly and Joss were there also. Alexis had decided to invite them to try and take their minds off what was going on. Jax had flew back to Australia to be with his mom. Max and Diane were there as well. Sam offered to help but her mom said she had had it all catered so there wasn't anything to do but put the food on the table. Sam walked over to Carly who was sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand. She sat down next to her and Carly laid her head on her shoulder "How are you doing today?" Sam asked leaning her head against Carly's.

"Ok. Having Joss with me makes it easier. We are going to stop by Monica's after this. Are you guys going?" Sam nodded her head and said "We are going to pick up Jake and then head over. Carly laid her hand against Sam's belly and asked "How is baby?" "Baby is doing great." Sam said.

"Are you going to find out what you're having?" she asked. "We decided to wait until the baby shower. We are having it on New Year's Day so we wanted our guest to be in on it as well."

Carly lifted her head and said "That is an awesome idea. Very creative." "Thank you." Sam said proudly "I had to talk Jason into it though. He wanted to know as soon as we could. Impatient bastard that he is."

Carly laughed and Sam smiled. Hearing her laugh again was nice. "How are you going to do it?"

"We haven't decided yet. I have been looking up some gender reveal ideas and there are a lot of good ones. It's so hard to choose." "Is your mom going to throw it here?" Carly asked.

Sam shook her head "No, we are just going to have it at the penthouse. With everything going on with my mom right now…"

"Sam, you can't throw yourself a baby shower." Carly cut in. "Why not?" Sam asked. "Because you can't. That is not the way it's done. Oh!" Carly jerked up and grabbed her hand "Please let me throw it for you. we can do it at my place. Joss would love that and so would I."

Sam's heart swelled at her eagerness to be a good friend. "Carly, are you sure that you…"

"Yes, I am. This will be the most perfect baby shower in history." She said with I bright, genuine smile.

"What are you two talking about?" they both looked up and saw Jason coming toward them. Carly jumped up and gave him a hug "I am throwing you guys your baby shower." She said excitedly. "I need to go and tell Joss. She is going to be super excited."

Sam smiled as she took off in search of her daughter. Jason sat next to her and said "How did that happen?"

Sam laughed and shook her head "Apparently, you are not allowed to throw yourself a baby shower. As soon as I said it she asked if she could do it. Well, she asked in her own way." Sam explained.

"Which means she just took it over." Jason shook his head and chuckled. He looked at her and asked "Are you ok with that?"

Sam smiled up at him and said "Absolutely. When the idea dawned on her she got happy. That was the first time I have seen her smile since Morgan died. And I know she will do a great job so I don't have to worry about that." Jason kissed the top of her head. "Thank you. I think this is going to really help her." He said.

"Ok everyone, the food is set. Time to eat." Her mother announced.

Jason helped Sam up from the couch as everyone went into the dining room to eat. They all sat down and said grace and then dug into the food. For the next hour, they all ate and talked. Sam kept any eye on her mom during dinner. She couldn't tell what was in the cup that her mom was drinking out of but she had a feeling she knew. Sam didn't know what she would do without her mom I her life. They had been through so much together. So many hard times but such beautiful ones as well. But she couldn't continue to let her mother think her behavior was ok. she needed a wake-up call and if Sam had to be the one to give it to her then so be it.

After dinner was over, Diane and Max said their goodbyes. They were going over to Milo and Epiphany's to have desert with them. Carly and Joss headed out to the Quartermaine's to visit with Michael. Molly had plans with TJ so she headed out to see his and Krissy was going to stop by the PCPD to see her dad. Danny sat on the couch leaning into his dad as Sam saw her mom go through the sliding glass doors that lead to the back yard. She still had her cup in her hands. Sam looked to Jason on the couch and said "Go talk to her. Danny is half asleep so I will go and buckle him in his chair and wait outside for you." Sam leaned down and kissed him before heading out to talk to her mother.

Sam walked through the doors as she watched her mom down the remains of her glass. She shook her head and walked over to the railing. "Mom we have to talk." "Ok honey. Just let me go and get some more water." Alexis said as she started for the door.

"Mom, stop." Sam said. Alexis turned around and looked at her daughter "I know that you have been lying to me. I know that you have still been drinking."

Alarm flashed into Alexis's eyes but she quickly masked it with annoyance as she said "What are you talking about? Sam, we have been over this time and time again and I am getting sick of defending myself."

Sam shook her head as her emotions started to rise "And I am getting sick and tired of you lying right to my face." She grabbed the cup from her mother's hand and lifted it to her nose "Looks like you were in a Sangria kind of mood today."

Alexis knew there was no point of denying it so she went into defense mode "Sam, in the past year I have been through more than anyone should have to. Your father tried to kill me. I am an adult and if this is the way that I want to deal with it all then I get to. You need to back off and leave me alone with it." She said angrily.

Sam looked at her and had no idea who she was seeing. This woman was not her mother. Sam held back her tear as she walked over to her and held the cup out to her. Alexis looked at it before snatching it away and heading inside. Sam fought off the sob she felt in her throat and took a deep breath before heading inside. She watched as her mom poured the cup full and took a long drink. "I have tried to be as understanding as I could. You are right. You have been through so much more that any one person should." Sam said to her mom. "But the day that you put my son in danger because drinking was so much more important, was the day I stopped." She said in a low voice.

Alexis looked at her daughter and opened her mouth but Sam stopped her "I do not want to hear another word from you. My son is having nightmares because of you. You put my son in danger. You were passed out drunk while watching my 5-year-old son. There is NO excuse for that." Sam said. She took a deep breath and looked her mother dead in the eye "You are no longer allowed around my son." Sam ignored the pain she saw in her mom's eyes and continued "You will not be allowed near this baby either." She said pointing to her stomach "If this is the life you want, if Julian is worth so much more to you that your children and your grandchildren, then you got it. So, I really hope having that drink was worth it to you." Sam finished. She walked over to the door and, without looking back, shut it leaving her mother behind.

Sam sat next to Monica on the couch as she watched Danny and Jake play. They had picked up Jake from his mom's house where they were having dinner with Franco. Sam shook her head at the thought of his still being around. Sam had heard what had been going on in her life and the fact that she was still with him made her stomach turn. She knew that their situations were different but the way she still defended Franco at every turn made Sam angry. While they were picking up Jake, Liz tired everything she could to get Jason to feel bad for her about it but it wasn't working "You being a victim yourself but defending him after what he did to Sam is despicable, Elizabeth. It may not be the same but it was still sexual assault. You say he is a changed man just as the parole board says your assaulter is. To me, I see no difference. If all of society is to give Franco another chance, why can't they do the same for Tom?"

Elizabeth had looked horrified at Jason defending her rapist and Franco said to him "How could you say something like that to her?"

Jason looked right at Liz and said "The same way she can defend you to your victim. This may be a little harsh but I am done caring about that. What goes on in your life, Elizabeth is none of my concern unless it affects my son. You have a fear that you rapist is going to come back to Port Charles, go to the police. I am done riding to your rescue so I don't know what the point of letting me know all of this is. Now if you will excuse us, we need to get to my mom's."

Sam knew a part of Jason must feel bad for what he said to her but his anger and her defending Franco won out. Sam understood that what she was going through must be scary but she didn't understand how she could not see Franco as the same. But then again Sam was the victim and Elizabeth had made no secret of her hate for her. She watched Michael join the boys down on the floor and she smiled. This was a nice distraction from reliving the conversation she had with her mother an hour ago. When she got into the car, Jason held her as she broke down in quiet sobs. She could not believe that it had come to this. She had no idea what she was going to tell her son about not being allowed at Grandma Alexis's anymore.

Sam felt a hand on hers as she looked over to her mother-in-law "Honey are you ok?" she asked.

Sam smiled sadly at her and said "No, not really." Sam told her what had happened earlier and Monica shook her head "Thank God Danny is ok." Monica had an idea of what Alexis was going through. After losing her husband and her daughter in the same year, she herself had turned to alcohol to numb he pain but in the end in did nothing to help her. Her husband as still dead and so was her daughter. After finding out she had been responsible for Sam's hit and run accident, it was a wake-up call she desperately needed. Seeing Sam like this and knowing that she was losing her family would hopefully do the same for Alexis.

Joss came over and hugger Sam "Thank you for letting mom and I plan you shower! I can't wait to get started on planning it."

Sam laughed and hugged her back "You're welcome. I wanted to ask a special favor from you though. I want you to be the one to come up with the most creative baby gender reveal ever, ok?" Sam told Joss. Joss beamed up at her and pulled her phone out to start looking for some ideas.

"Carly is throwing you your baby shower?" Monica asked.

Sam nodded "We were just going to do it ourselves at the penthouse but Carly wasn't having it." She laughed.

"But isn't your mom…?"

Sam shook her head "She hasn't ever offered to. Besides I think having this to focus on will be good for Carly and so does Jason."

Monica nodded "Yes it will. Having something that takes you focus is the best way to start to heal." The two women looked on at their family as they all came together a one.

Sam opened the door as Jason carried a sleeping Danny in his arms. Jake looked ready to pass out anytime too. He walked over to the couch and flopped onto it face first, making Sam and Jason chuckle. "I'm going to go put him down." Jason said to his wife as she took her shoes off and nodded. "Ok, I'll bring this one up soon." She motioned to Jake. Jason disappeared upstairs with their son as Sam walked over to the couch and sat down next to Jake "Did you have a good Thanksgiving, buddy?" she asked her step-son.

Jake sluggishly sat up and moved to snuggle against Sam "Mm-hmm. Best ever." He said on a yawn.

Sam laughed and said "Good. Come on, let's get upstairs so that you can go to bed." They headed up the stairs and into the boys' room. Jason had just gotten Danny into his PJ's and into bed. Jake put his on and with another yawn crawled into bed. Sam sat on the side of his bed and tucked him in "Comfy?" she asked.

"Yep" he said tiredly. Sam leaned forward and kissed his head "Sleep tight. Love you." "Love you too, Sammy." Sam walked over to her sleeping son as Jason walked to Jake. She kissed her baby goodnight and the two walked out of their room to theirs.

Sam and Jason got ready for bed. Sam plugged her phone in and realized she hadn't looked at it since he had left her mom's. She had about 10 texts from her mom but she just wasn't in the mood to read them tonight. It was all still to fresh. She slipped into bed and cuddled up next to Jason "She call?" he asked.

Sam shook her head against his chest and said "But she sent a bunch of texts. But I don't want to read them tonight. I have been enough of a downer today as it is." She explained.

Jason looked down at her confused "What are you talking about?"

"I have been sulking all day about my mom. It's Thanksgiving and hear I am acting like a big baby." She sighed.

"Sam, stop. You have every right to feel this way. You mom has been lying to you and she put our boy in danger. It doesn't matter what day today is. If she had kept her promise to you none of this would be happening."

Sam took a deep breath and nodded her head "I just hope that want I said registered for her. I don't want to keep her out of our kids' lives but I can't have her being this irresponsible either. But I guess a should focus on the fact that Danny is ok. Hopefully his nightmares will stop soon too." She said.

"Despite what we have going on around us and how crazy it has been, all that matters is you and me and our family. And our family is the greatest blessing that I could have ever asked for." He says giving her a soft look.

Sam smiled at him and said "Me too. Last year at this time I didn't think we would ever find our way back. But somehow we did and I am very thankful for that." Jason kissed her and said against her lips "Thankful doesn't cover it."


	2. Christmas

It was Christmas Eve and Sam and Jason were having family over to their place for dinner. In the past month since Thanksgiving things had been both stressful and peaceful. Sam had read her mother's text messages the morning after Thanksgiving. Her mother had apologized and said Sam was right and that she was going to make it better. Sam hadn't really seen her mom since it happened. She ran into her once at Kelley's and they had an awkward conversation. It was short and civil and Sam could tell it hurt her mom that she was so short with her but Sam needed her to understand. Monica had told her that she and Alexis had a talk and Monica took her to an AA meeting. Sam was a little shocked that her mother had decided to go to one but Monica said that Alexis wanted to do it right. She wanted to prove to Sam that she was trying and she wasn't going to mess up. Sam was proud of her mom but she wasn't ready to talk to her about it all yet. She knew her sister were going to be spending Christmas Eve with her so it made her feel better that she wasn't going to be alone. Her sisters had graciously let her know that when they had sopped by last week to lay into her for what she had said to their mother.

***Flashback***

"Sam, how could you do something like this? To your own mother?" Molly scolded her oldest sister.

"She needs our support right now. So, what if she wants to have a few drinks to forget what your father has put her through. She has that right." Kristina said accusingly.

She made it seem like what Julian did was her fault as well. Sam was trying to keep her hormones at bay. She was trying really hard not to get emotional but it was getting harder with every word they said. "I can't believe that you are being so selfish right now with everything going on. Your father tried to kill our mother and he got off scot free. She needs her family and you take yourself and Danny away from her? On Thanksgiving, no less. And now it's a week from Christmas and it's just going to be me, Molly and mom because you and your father have now ruined her life." Krissy went on.

Sam sucked in a breath as she felt a twinge in her stomach. She closed her eyes a prayed that this wasn't anything big. "You two need to leave now."

Molly and Kristina turned around and saw Jason standing at the front door. He came forward and pushed between them to get to Sam "Hey, hey, come on. Sit down." He guided her to the couch and helped her sit. "Are you in any pain?" he asked her. Sam took a deep breath and let it out.

"I just felt a small twinge. It's gone now but I feel kind of weird."

Jason reached over and grabbed the bottle of water beside her and made her drink. Sam took a few drinks of it and breathed deep. "It's going away." She said as her breaths helped her. "Keep drinking." Jason said.

He got up and turned to the two girls behind him and saw the worried looks on their faces "What the hell is wrong with the two of you? Your sister is 6 months pregnant and you decided coming here and yelling at her is good idea?" he asked. The girls looked at each other but Jason spoke up before either could say a word "Sam has already been put in the hospital because of stress, the last thing she need is more of it especially form either one of you. I don't care if you don't agree with the way Sam handled you mom. She needs to grow the hell up and realize that she still has people that love her and care about her. She is drinking herself stupid and it has already put Danny in danger once. We aren't going to let it happen again. If the two of you want to enable her, be my guest but she is not allowed around my wife or my son until she responsible than stupid. And I think it is a good idea if the two of you stay away also. Sam needs support too. She needs her mother and her sisters but you are all clearly can't be there for her so you all need to stay the hell away."

***End Flashback***

It had hurt to see her sister go. Her family was falling apart but Sam knew she did the right thing with her mom. If her sisters wanted to be babies about it and blame her then so be it. She was done making excuses for her mom. She needed to go through this on her own from now on. Sam was pulled from her thoughts when the doorbell rang. She walked out of the kitchen and went to answer it. "Hey fatty!" her brother said as he and Bran walked in. "Shut up" she hit her brother on the arm making him laugh and her giggle. She gave them both a hug and took the pie they had brought.

"Where are my nephews?" Lucas asked taking off his coat.

"Here!" Danny yelled as he came down the stairs full speed. Jake followed behind him at a slowed pace. Danny ran to his uncle and leaped into his arms "Oh you're getting so big! What are you feeding this kid? Hippos?" Danny giggled as Lucas started to tickle him. "Hey uncle Brad." Danny took notice and jumped from Lucas's arms to Brad's "Hey buddy. What have you been up to?" Brad walked to the couch and sat down as Jake said hi to Lucas.

They had Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning with Jake before they had to get him back to his mom's. Sam hated that. Jason had one spent one Christmas with Jake since he had been I his life but she guessed she should be happy they got him at all.

Lucas put his arm around his sister and said "How are you feeling?" She smiled up at him "Good. Better than I have in a while."

"So how many people are coming to this thing?" he said looking at the table. "Well there is the 6 of us. Carly and Joss and Michael is going to come as well." She said.

"No Sonny?" Lucas asked.

Sonny had been out of jail for a few weeks. It had been proven that an old enemy of Julian's had planted the bomb. Carly had felt horrible for not having faith in her husband but Sonny was too pissed off to hear it. They were further apart than ever and it made Sam sick to her stomach that sonny was treating Carly this way. Yes, she believed it but she was hurting and was looking to blame anyone she could. Sonny was the obvious choice and instead of trying to work it out, Sonny did what he always did and pushed her away. Carly was trying to put on a brave face but Sam knew she was miserable. She wanted to kick Sonny's ass but Jason wanted them to work it out themselves for once.

"No, no Sonny. He is spending tonight and tomorrow morning with my mom and sisters." Sam said.

Lucas hugged her close "Still on the outs with them?" he asked.

Sam nodded her head against his chest "Yeah."

"They'll come around, Sam. Alexis knows she was wrong and she is trying. But she also knows it is going to take some time for you to trust her again. And your sisters feel bad." Sam looked up at him, shocked "You've spoken with them?" Lucas nodded his head "I ran into them at Kelley's a few days ago. They all wanted to know if you were ok and Molly and Krissy felt really bad about what they said to you. I told them that they hurt you and almost they baby. I don't think they thought this would happen when they came over but in a way, it's a wake-up call for them too. Just know that you did the right thing no matter what anyone says." He assured her. Sam snuggled closer to him and muttered "Thanks."

Jason came down the stairs just then. He looked at his wife with her brother and was glad he made it. Jason knew the past month had been hard on Sam but she was focusing on the baby to help her distract herself. They were going to wait until after the baby shower next week to do the nursery. Carly had it all planed out and Sam was super excited with whatever they were doing. "Hey Jason" Lucas said when he saw him. The two men shook hands as Sam and Jason went into the kitchen and started to place the food on the dining room table. The doorbell rang again and Danny rushed to answer it. Carly, Joss and Michael walked in with Carly carrying a big platter of something. Jason came over and got it from her as everyone greeted each other.

"So who else is coming?" Carly asked as the all stood around the table.

"Nobody. This is it." Sam said. "The why are the three more-place setting?" Carly asked. Sam looked down at the table and saw that there were indeed 3 more plates set up.

She looked at Jason, who oversaw setting the table and said "What is going on?" Before he could answer, the doorbell rang once more. Jason gave her a smirk and said "Why don't you go answer that?" Danny and Jake giggled from his sides and she looked at them.

"What did you guys do?" she asked.

"Just go answer the door, woman." Jason said. Their guests laughed and Sam narrowed her eyes at him and walked to the door. She opened it and got the biggest shock.

"Sam!" "Oh, my Gosh, Emma!" Sam said as the little girl hugged her hard around the middle. Sam hugged her back just as hard. Oh, how she missed this little girl. Sam was so happy that their lives worked out the way it had but she sometimes missed the way it was. Sam looked up and saw both her smiling parents in the door way. "Your all here" she said and she hugged Robin and then Patrick.

"Hi, Sammy" he whispered. Sam felt her emotions start to rise. She had missed her friend. She knew that she and Patrick weren't meant to be together but they were always friends. He was one of the greatest friends she had ever had. "Hi." She whispered back.

Everyone came over and said hello to their surprise guests and Sam moved to Jason. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "You did this?" she asked.

"I talked to Robin the other day and she said they were going to spend Christmas here with her mom and uncle so I asked if they wanted to come for dinner tonight. I thought it would be a nice surprise." He leaned in and kissed her lips. "You are the best husband ever. You know that, right?" Jason sighed and said "I know." Sam laughed and kissed him one last time. The group settled in and started dinner.

The kids had their own table which they loved. They got to be off by themselves without having to listen to all the boring adult talk. Joss talked with her brother and uncles about their jobs. The kid was 1 going on 20. She was already thinking of things she wanted to do when she got older. Robin asked how things were going with shared custody with Liz. Jason snorted and Sam answered "So far it has been pretty mellow." Jason gave her a look "What? It has." She defended.

"She called and said the man that raped her is out of prison now." Robin said. Sam nodded her head "Yeah he got out the week before Thanksgiving. But he is not allowed in Port Charles. That was one of the conditions of his release. He needed to stay away from Elizabeth. But it still as to be scary for her." Sam said.

"But she is still dating Franco?" Patrick asked.

Jason nodded his head "And defending everything he did. According to her what he did to Sam isn't what was done to her so they aren't anything alike." He said.

Patrick shook his head in disgust. Robin had a sad look on her face "I can't believe the person she had become. I understand that your situations are different but to defend Franco after everything he did, that's just not the person I thought she was."

"That's because she is a master manipulator." Carly spoke up.

"Carly" Sam said.

"What, she is. She is not satisfied unless she had at least 2 or 3 guys wanting to be with her and then she plays them all to get what she wants. She is it with Zander and Ric. She did it with Lucky and Jason. She did it with Lucky and Nik and she did it with Jason and Ric."

The adults all sat there and thought about what Carly just said. Robin looked to her husband "She's right. Liz has done that. A lot." "Wow. I'm glad I was never one of the stupid saps that fell for it." Patrick said.

Jason shot him a glare and then one to his wife who giggled at the joke. "What?" Sam said with a smile "You did fall for it twice."

"The second time doesn't count because I had amnesia. I didn't know any better." He defended himself.

"Ok, sure, and what is your excuse for the first time you fell for it?" Sam asked her husband.

Jason just shrugged his shoulders and said "I was stupid." They all laughed at him and the evening past with more stories and laughter.

The sound of her and Jason's bedroom door opening woke her up. She was laying on Jason's chest and by the sound of his breath, he was woken up too. They both remained still and the sound of two little boys giggled filled the room. "You get dad. And I'll get Sam." Big brother whispered to little brother. "'Kay."

They heard Danny's reply. They got into position and Jason and Sam heard "On 3. 1…2…"

"3!" Jason and Sam shouted as the both reached for the boys and pulled them to the bed in a fit of giggles. They started to tickle them until Jake yelled "Uncle!" Jason and Jason laughed as the boys settled down and in between them "It is 6:30, you two. What are you doing up so early?" Jason asked his sons.

"Daddy, it's Christmas!" Danny said excitedly as he got up and started jumping on the bed. "Oh it is?" Sam said to her son.

"Yep! Come on! We have to go see what Santa left us!" Danny jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. "Hey, wait for me!" Jake shouted after his little brother and ran after him.

Jason and Sam laughed as they got out of bed and followed them down stairs. They stood at the top of the landing and looked down at the boys who stood in shock at all that Santa had brought. Sam felt a kick in her belly and placed her hand over it "Looks like someone else wants to open presents too." She laughed. Jason looked down at her and smiled. He placed his hand over hers and felt the baby kicking "Yeah, wow" he said "They definitely want something." Jason helped Sam down the rest of the stairs and to the couch. He laid a blanket across her legs and went to the kitchen.

"Mommy, can we open now?" Danny asked. "Wait just one more minute, baby. Daddy is in the kitchen." Danny nodded and both he and Jake found a spot on the floor waiting for their cue to dig in. Jason came out of the kitchen with two cups. He handed Sam one and it was hot coca. "Now can we start? Danny asked again. Sam laughed and said "Sure. Oh, wait! I have to go get me phone…" She stopped mid-sentence as Jason pulled her phone out of his PJ pocket. She looked at him with a soft gaze "Best husband ever. Truly." He laughed and sat down next to her and then told the boys "Have at it."

For the next hour, the boys opened their gifts and Sam took pictures and videos. They boys were just about done when Jason got up and headed for the tree. He walked to the side of it and pulled a rectangle box out from the branches and walked back to Sam. "Merry Christmas." He said handing it to her. She took the box and smiled at him. She lifted the lid and pulled the velvet bracelet box out. She opened it up and gasped. "I know it is tradition to give a push present so I decided to do give it to you know." He said.

Sam lifted the diamond bracelet from the box and noticed the gems. "I had them put all our birthstones on." He explained.

Sam looked at all the gems but there was one right after hers she couldn't place "Who's is this?" she asked of the November Citrine.

Jason smiled at her softly and said "Lila's."

Sam sucked in a breath as the tears formed in her eyes. "Jason…" "She was our first child. The reason we are together. I wanted her to be on here too." He said.

Tears fell down her cheeks but she smiled through them. "Seriously" she whispered "best husband ever." Jason chuckled and took the bracelet from her hands and put it on her. "Jason it is beautiful. Thank you." she said and gave him a kiss. "You're welcome."

Sam got p and walked over to the liquor cabinet. "Umm…what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Well, since you decided to give up the hard stuff while I was pregnant, I figured this was the best place to hide your gift." She said pulling his gift from the cabinet.

"Hu. Pretty sneaky." He said as she came back over and sat down. "Thank you." she said handing him the gift.

Jason sat the box on his lap and took the top off. He moved the tissue paper aside and stared down at the 8X10 picture in shock. "This was taken a few weeks after your dad brought you to the Q mansion. You mom said that your dad and grandfather argued endlessly on who got to take care of you. Your grandmother took this picture. I found it when your mom and I were looking for old baby photos the other day and. I realized that we didn't have any pictures here of you with them." she explained. Jason continued to look at the photo. He was being held by his grandfather with his dad standing next to him. They both had their faces down looking at him and they were smiling.

Jason felt himself get chocked up as he said "Sam, this is…this is the greatest gift. Thank you so much." He gave he a long, lingering kiss. "Merry Christmas, baby." She said.

They boys took all their gifts upstairs while Jason and Sam cleaned up the living room. They were going over to Jason's moms for breakfast so they all got ready and headed over. Alice opened the door and greeted them. They all went into the sitting room where Monica, Tracy, Hayden, Dr. Fin and Michael were. They said their hellos and Danny and Jake told Michael all that they had gotten for Christmas. "Merry Christmas, you two." Monica came over and gave them a hug.

"Merry Christmas." They said.

"Did you and the boys have a nice morning?" Monica asked. "

Yeah, day started at 6:30 when the boys tried to sneak in and wake us up." Sam said with a smile. "It's funny how kids think their quiet when they are anything but." Jason put in.

Breakfast was served and they all sat down to eat. "Have you spoken to your mom at all?" Monica asked Sam.

Sam shook her head and told her what happened with her sisters "I can understand them being worried about their mother but that was unnecessary. If they knew what had really gone on I don't think they would have been willing to let it keep happening." Sam nodded her head and said "Lucas said he ran into them and they felt bad. And I know that they do. I know that my mom does as well. I just don't know how I am going to be able to trust her again." "You know she has no missed an AA meeting since she stared going." Monica told her. Sam looked up at her as she went on "She has been working as a consultant with Diane and she has been seeing a therapist to help her deal with all that she been through."

"You talk to her a lot?" Sam asked.

"I'm her sponsor." Monica said.

Sam sat back in her chair, a little surprised. "I knew this was going to be difficult for her and I wanted her to have a sponsor who understood what she was going through. So, I offered to be hers. And she is doing much better." Monica explained.

Sam smiled, proud of her mother for finally seeing that she still had a life full of opportunities. "I'm glad." Sam said.

Monica reached over and laid her hand on Sam's "Your mom loves you very much. And as much as her life is improving, it is also lacking. Losing you was the wake-up call she needed. I know that both of you are hurting without each other. And it is Christmas." Sam knew what her mother-in-law was saying. Sam gave her a smile and said "I'll think about it." Monica returned her smile and patter her hand.

They pulled up to the driveway of her mom's house. Sam was nervous because she hadn't seen her mom in what felt like forever. She knew her sisters and Sonny were there. "Hey" Jason said reaching for her hand "everything is going to be ok." he reassured her.

Sam nodded her head and took a deep breath. She looked behind her and asked the boys "Are you ready to go see Grandma Alexis?"

"Yay!" Danny said excitedly.

She felt a pang at her son's eagerness. This was the longest he had gone without seeing her mom. "Ok, well let's go." They all got out of the car and walked to the door. Sam looked through the window at the door and saw her mom sitting next to Sonny on the couch. Avery was on the floor with her sisters playing with a toy. Sam took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Alexis looked over at the door and Sam saw the look of shock come across her face. Sam managed a small smile as her mom stood up. She almost fell over Sonny's legs as she rushed to the door to open it. "Hi…" Sam started to say but was cut off when Alexis pulled her into her arms and hugged her tight. Sam closed her eyes and fought off tears a she hugged her mom back. "Oh, my baby." Her mom said into her hair. She kissed the side of Sam's head and pulled back "Come in! Come in, it's freezing out here." She moved aside and let them come in. Sam barely got her coat off before her sisters attacked her with apologies and hugs. Sam laughed and told them that they were forgiven and that it was all ok.

Jason made his way to Sonny as Jake and Danny went off with Molly and Krissy. Sam and Alexis made their way to the kitchen as Alexis got her daughter a cup or herbal tea. "I am so glad that you are here." Alexis said as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"Me too. I um…I talked to Monica and she said that you are doing good." Sam said.

Alexis nodded "It's a struggle at times but it is one that I now know is worth it. Honey, I am so sorry for what I did. I know better than anyone that a man is not worth throwing your life away. I don't know what I was thinking and I know that it will take some time for us to get back what we had but I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Sam smiled and reached across the table to take her mother's hand in hers "I know. And I am so proud of you. I know that everything is going to be ok now."

"The only reason it is is because of you. watching you walk out that door…all I wanted to do was take another drink but I knew that wasn't the answer. It never was." Alexis squeezed Sam's hand in hers "Thank you."

Sam smiled through blurry eyes and said "Happy to kick you in the ass anytime, mom." Mother and daughter shared a laugh. They spent the rest of their time talking about what had been going on with each other lately that they had missed.

Sam sat on the couch in the dark living room with the only light coming from the Christmas tree. Jason was upstairs putting Dany to bed after a log day. After they felt her moms, they dropped Jake off at Elizabeth's house and then went to Carly's. Carly and Joss had gone over some more details about the baby shower and that is when it was decided they were going to do it co-ed. Jason shook his head at the torture he knew awaited him next week. After that they stopped by the cemetery to see Lila and Danny. Danny told his sister and uncle all that he got for Christmas and more. They got home around 7 and both Sam and Danny were beat. Jason made Sam sit on the couch while he got Danny ready for bed. Sam kicked her shoes off but she hasn't moved since.

Jason came down the stairs a moment later and said "He was out as soon as he hit the pillow."

Sam smiled as Jason came ad sat down next to her. Sam curled into his side and he laid his hand on her hip. "You feeling ok?" he asked her.

She nodded her head "Tired but it was a great Christmas. And I have a one more gift for you." She has up a little and said "If you want and I can talk Carly out of making the baby shower co-ed. I know that you hat parties and being around a bunch of women oohing and awing isn't your idea of fun so I will take care of it."

Jason smiled own at her and said "You would do that?"

"Of course. I know that isn't your thing and all I have to do is turn on the water works and Carly will give me anything I want so it'll be easy."

Jason laughed and said "I appreciate the offer but you don't have to do that I want to go."

"Really?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Really. I want to be there for you and for this one." He said laying his hand on her belly. "I love you both more than anything so I am going to be there. Baby bingo and all." He said. Sam smiled and put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Best. Husband. Ever."


	3. New Year's

Jason held Sam's hand as they walked down the stairs. At almost 7 months pregnant, it was getting difficult to walk down them since she was unable to see her feet. "I hate this part of pregnancy" Sam said with a huff.

"What part?" Jason asked with a smirk.

"The not being able to see your feet part. It's ridiculous that I can't even walk down the stairs by myself now." She complained.

Jason just smiled and led her to the couch. "I'm going to go roundup the boys and then we will head out." He kissed her forehead and went back up the stairs. Sam sighed and watched him go. Her hormones had really kicked in the last week. From uncontrollable anger to wanting to jump her husband's bones as often as she could. She never got angry at Jason or the boys but yesterday when she went to pick up Jake so he could be at the baby shower, Franco was there and he made a remark about her pregnancy and Liz laughed at it. And it was the wrong thing to do.

***Flashback***

"Wow, Sam, you look…really far along. You must be getting up there, huh?" Franco said as Sam waited for Jake to get his things together. "Do me a favor, Franco, and do not mention my pregnancy or my kids. I wouldn't think I would have to tell you how inappropriate it is." Sam said with a glare.

Sam ignored the fact that Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her words because Jake was there but it took everything in her to. "Well, at least this time you don't have to worry about the fact that it could be mine." Franco said light heartedly.

Sam's heart stopped at his words but it was Elizabeth that fired it up again. When Sam heard Liz giggle, she turned her gaze to her and said "You think that is funny? You think the fact that I spent over a year thinking your boyfriend had violated me in the worst possible way and was the father of my baby funny? You think it's funny he allowed me to think he raped me?" Sam raged softly.

A look of shock came over Liz's face as Sam heard Franco "Sam, honestly I didn't mean…"

Sam whipped back around and said "Bull. What you did to me is no a punchline, Franco. You want people to think that you are a changed man but you aren't. The fact that you think it is no big deal to make light of the pain you caused me and my family proves it. It wasn't just me that you hurt. My mother and my sisters had to live with that pain also. My mother spent a year thinking her daughter was raped and there was nothing she could do to help the pain. Do you have any idea what it was like having to tell my baby sisters that their nephew was conceived by rape? Molly cried for weeks. And it was all because you wanted a laugh. You wanted to inflicted maximum pain because you got off on it. That had nothing to do with a tumor. That had everything to do with the fact that you are a monster and you always will be."

Sam turned her rage to Elizabeth "You sit here and defend the man that has hurt so many people's lives because he is nice to you. The man that you call your boyfriend drugged me, touched me without my permission and climbed on top of my naked body. And you defend that. By doing so you spit on every young girl who has ever had something like that happen. It happens every day, Elizabeth. Everyday there is a man out there that thinks he had the right to touch a girl against her will, just like Franco did to me. And you think that it is ok." Sam shook her head as the tears started to well in her eyes "You have to live with your choices. You must live with the consequences that come with them also. And if you have never trusted a thing I have ever said, trust me when I say letting him in your life with have more consequences then you could ever dream of. Franco is no different that Manny Ruiz, Elizabeth. That is who you are allowing into your life, into your kids' lives. And there is no changing it now." Sam finished and registered the look on Elizabeth's face. "And when, not if, when it happens, you had better pray to God it never touches Jake because I promise you, you will pay more than Franco does."

***End flashback***

To make matters worse, when Sam got home with Jake, he had revealed that he had heard them talking and asked her if Franco had really done that to her. It broke Sam's heart to see the look on that little boy's face. He looked as if his world was crashing. Before Sam could answer him, Jason had arrived home and he asked his father. Jason was beyond angry after he found out what had happened. He assured Jake that everything was going to be ok and that was when Jake shocked both Sam and Jason by saying he wanted to live with them. Jason and Sam knew how much Jake loved his mom and how he hero-worshiped Franco so for him to say he wanted to live with them told them he no longer wanted to be around his mom and Franco. Jason told him that they would talk about it and for him to go up and see his brother because he missed him. Sam knew Jason was on the verge of losing his temper so she tried to calm him down but it was no use. He left and didn't return for about an hour. When he came back he told her that he went to see Elizabeth and after she had made it clear, ever after telling her Jake no longer wanted to have Franco around, that she wasn't leaving him, he went to see Diane. And just like that, they were in the middle of a custody fight.

Sam sighed and ran her hand over her stomach again. The last thing she wanted was to put that little boy in the middle of a fight but they had to do what was best for him and deep down Sam knew having Franco around was no for the best. He was dangerous and it was only a matter of time before something bad happened because of him. There was a court date set for the 25th and hopefully that would be went this was all settled. Sam looked up as she heard footsteps on the stairs. Jason and Danny came down dressed in gray button down shirts tucked into jeans. Because they didn't know the sex of the baby, they went with a neutral color scheme of teal, gray and yellow. Sam smiled as she stood to her feet and said "You both look so handsome."

Danny beamed at him mom and Jake smiled a crooked smile like his fathers. "What about me?" Jason asked.

Sam looked up at him and arched a brow "Daddy, you didn't dress up. You look the same." Danny giggled. "So, she could still compliment me." He said tickling him under his chin causing both him and Jake to laugh. Sam looked on as father and sons goofed around and smiled. She loved her family more than anything and she would fight to protect it at any cost.

Sam laughed as she watched her guests, with paper plates on their heads try and draw a baby. They all looked completely ridiculous. Jason sat next to her and just shook his head as he watched them all as well. "Who came up with this game?" he asked.

Sam looked up at him and shrugged "I have no idea. I have never heard of this one. Apparently, Joss googled baby shower games and picked a few she liked."

Sam and Jason both shared a laugh at the sight of Maxie trying to out-do everyone. Joss collected all the plates and brought them over to Jason and Sam. "You guys have to pick the one you like most." She said.

Sam smiled at Jason's confused expression and took the plates. "How about we let the boys choose?" she said. Jason nodded his head and Sam called Jake and Danny over. The 4 of them passed around the plates and they decided that Molly had the best.

The rest of the afternoon past with more games and laugher. They opened the gifts and Sam got a kick out of all the black onesies they got. The food had been amazing and Sam was finding it hard to stop eating it. When it came time to do the gender reveal, Joss and Carly told everyone that it was set up outside and to put their coats on. Since it was mid-winter, snow covered the ground in a pretty blanket. Jason helped Sam into her coat as the boys followed Joss and Carly outside. Sam knew that they were going to be a part of revealing the sex of the baby but they had not told her anything else. The guest walked out to the backyard. Off to the left was a huge tree that had a big black balloon hanging from one of the branches. They all walked over and Carly explained "Ok, so as we all know Jason and Sam wanted all of us to be here when they found out the sex of their baby. And inside this balloon is pink or blue colored confetti. Joss decided on this idea and thought it would be perfect if Jake and Danny were the ones to pop the balloon with mommy and daddy standing under it."

He crowed awed and Sam smiled up at Jason. She loved that idea and blew Joss a kiss. "So, mommy and daddy if you will step under the tree, we will get Jake and Danny into position."

"Get into position?" Sam asked. She watched as two step ladders were set on either side of the balloon.

"Don't worry. It is completely safe. The ladders and child ones and they aren't that high. Plus, this gets them in the picture too." Carly assured her. Sam nodded and watched as her boys got on the ladders.

"What are they going to pop the balloon with?" Jason asked. The boys held up their hands to show the toothpicks in them. "We know, be careful." Jake said with a smile. Jason reached up a ruffled his sons hair.

"Ok, everyone are we ready?" Carly asked.

The crowd cheered and Sam snuggled into Jason's side as he pulled her close. "You ready for this?" he asked his wife. Sam smiled up at him and said "Absolutely." Jason leaned in and kissed her.

"Oh, that is a prefect shot. Ok boys, pop it." Carly said gleefully. Sam simultaneously heard the pop of the balloon and the click of Dillon's camera going off but she stayed in that kiss for a few seconds more. They pulled apart to see the pink confetti falling all around them. Sam's heart swelled as the tears formed in her eyes. "It's a girl!" she heard her guests shout. Jason leaned his forehead to hers pulling her closer "A baby girl." He whispered. Sam smiled happily and repeated "A baby girl."

Sam sat on the couch, not being allowed to move as she watched Carly and her sisters clean up. The last guests Lulu and Dante with little Rocco and their newest addition Charlotte had left about 15 minutes ago, Monica had been called back to the hospital but was able to stay until the end and Alexis left about 30 minutes ago, because a client had been arrested. Sam was glad that the board had given her mom her license back because it helped her to have something to focus on. She was still in AA and Sam knew it would be a while before she was back to herself if she ever was but she wasn't a quitter. Sam looked over and saw her boys helping with the cleanup as well. Danny held a bag open as Jake but cups and plates in it.

Sam smiled and reached her hand up to rub her belly. They were so happy that they were having a little sister. Jake adored Danny and Aiden but he told her he had been secretly hoping for a little sister this time. And Danny liked being the only little brother in the family so he as well wanted a little sister. When she saw the pink confetti fall around them Sam was ecstatic but a part of her had doubts. "Hey, what do you say we get the boys ready, pack up the car with as many gifts as we can take then head home? You have been on your feet a lot today and I would feel much better when I got you home and in bed." Jason said as he sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

Sam laughed and snuggled into him saying "It wasn't that bad. But I do love the idea of having my boys to myself after having to share them all day."

Jason smiled down at her and leaned down to kiss her. "Why are you guys always doing that?" Jason pulled back and mock glared at his son as Sam laughed at Jake's grossed out face "I'll tell you when you're older." Jason said. He stood up and said "Do not move. I will come and get you when we are ready to go."

Sam glared at him "I am not elderly Jason. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that I can't do things." She argued.

She watched Jason cross his arms and say "Oh yeah, let's see you get up off that couch all by yourself?" Sam knew she would never be able to that so she didn't move to try but she did send her husband and icy look which he ignored as he bent down and kissed her head. She watched him walk away and couldn't decide to stay mad or admire his very nice ass. She wet with the latter.

Sam sat in bed looking down at the picture that Dillon had dropped off. He knew that Sam and Jason would want them right away so when he got home he started working on them. He got most of them done but there were still a few that he needed to work on. By far her favorite shot was of the gender reveal. Dillon was an amazing photographer and the way he filtered that shot was beautiful. The entire picture was black and white except for the pink confetti. Sam couldn't wait to put it in the baby book. Dillon had given them a few copies of each picture so Sam was also going to frame it and put it in the nursery.

As she looked down at the picture, her doubts from earlier were starting to come back to her. She leaned over and opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out the sonogram picture she kept there. She looked down at it and was finding it hard to not get emotional. "Boys are out for the count." She heard as she looked up and saw Jason waking into the bedroom. He took one look at her and knew something was wrong. "Sam, what is it?" he asked climbing onto the bed and next to her. He looked down at what she had in her hands and noticed that the sonogram was not of this pregnancy. "Is that…?" he asked. Sam nodded her head. She tried but she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Baby, talk to me." Jason said softly.

"I'm scared." She whispered. "I'm scared it's going to be like last time. The last time I was pregnant with a girl, I…" her voice cracked.

Jason pulled her close to him and said "Look at me." Sam raised her eyes to look up into his and he said "That will not happen. I know why you think that but what happened then is not going to happen now. I don't know why we lost Lila. Even after all these years, I still can't think of a single reason why that happened. But I promise you that it is not going to happen again." He assured her.

Sam looked into his eyes and wanted to believe him but she was finding it hard to let go of this feeling. "Jason, I…"

"Do you remember what I told you when you told me you were pregnant?" he interrupted her. Sam thought back to that day and smiled a little. She watched as Jason held his hand out to her. Sam wiped the tears from her face before she laid her fingers on his and laced them together. "You have no reason to be afraid. I am not going to let anything happen to you or our baby." he said. "Everything is going to be ok. I promise you." he said firmly.

Sam took a deep breath and squeezed her fingers around his. She smiled softly at him and said "Thank you."

Jason kissed his wife with reassurance and then said "No, thank you. You have given me the best life I could have ever asked for. Without you I wouldn't have anything to live for." Jason pulled her close as the both settled down onto the bed "I remember when I first woke up after Helena took me. The very first this that I thought about was that I had to get home to you and Danny. I hurt like hell. It felt like my back was on fire but I couldn't think about anything else but you and Danny. I didn't know how I was going to do it. But I knew that I would." Jason looked down at her and softly caressed her face "I didn't even have my memories of you yet but from the moment you and Danny ran up to me in the hospital, I knew. I fought it because it felt a little strange, feeling a connection to a complete stranger and her kid, but I knew that you two were important. And then when I found out the truth it all made sense. And again, I didn't know how but I knew that we would find our way back. Even as I argued with everyone around me that we were done, I knew we weren't."

Sam smiled at him and said "I knew it too. I wanted to move on but a part of me knew I would never be able to. It was hard to fight it but I tried my hardest." She laughed.

"We had a knack for that, didn't we?" Jason said. "For what?" she asked. "Thinking we could live without each other. It worked so well the first time we tried." He said sarcastically making Sam giggle. "Nothing in my life ever made sense without you in it. So, I guess it's a good thing we have finally, and for good this time, found our way back together because there is no way in hell I am letting you go again." He said. Sam sighed in bliss and said "that's good because I was kind of thinking the same thing about you." Jason wrapped his arms around her tight and held her and their daughter close. He listened as Sam's breathing evened out, telling him she was asleep. He laid there for a few more moments relishing in the feel of having his life back. He sent up a silent thank you to whoever it was that finally let him get it right before falling asleep.

2 months later

Sam walked down the stairs slightly wincing as she reached the bottom. Her insides we still recovering but she was pretty much back to normal. Other than being a month early, the delivery of her and Jason's baby girl had gone smoothly. Well, if you count almost 30 hours of labor as smooth. When Sam's water broke, it had scared the hell out of her. All she could think about was how it had happened with Lila. Jason rushed Sam to the hospital and they took her back. Dr. Lee said that there was nothing to be too concerned about. Considering Sam's medical history, it was possible for an early delivery. The baby's heart beat was strong and there was no sign of distress. Sam calmed down after she heard her daughter's heart beat and how normal it was. But she was still nervous about going into labor a month early.

Jason never left her side. He had stayed with her the entire time and Sam knew that was the only reason she kept sane during it all. It hurt so bad though. She didn't have a labor with Lila and Danny was born less than an hour after her water broke. But this little one was stubborn. Jason liked to say that she was already like her mom. But they survived it all and 30 hours later, Melody Lila Morgan entered the world at 4:07 a.m. on Valentine's Day weighing 5lbs 7 ounces and 19 inches long. Sam had never been so glad to hear a screaming baby in her life. And when Dr. Lee laid Melody on her chest after Jason cut the cord, Sam burst into tears. Even Jason got a little misty eyed at meeting his daughter. It was the perfect moment they were denied with both Lila and Danny.

And now, two weeks later, it was still perfect. After Sam and Melody were released from the hospital, Jason and the boys surprised her in a big way. They had bought a house. "The penthouse is officially too small for a family of five." Jason told her. The house was beautiful. It was a two story 5 bed, 4-bathroom house. It had a huge backyard that the boys loved. It has a gated pool which Sam was glad about. It was the perfect house. They had settled in right away and everything was going good.

A lot had gone on around them in the past two months. Carly and Sonny were officially back together. Carly found out that Jax had bought Joss's kidney off to two parents with a perfectly healthy child. That was the real reason for Nelle's appearance in PC. She wanted revenge on the person she thought was responsible; Carly. Nelle found out the truth but not before she drugged Sonny and made him and everyone else think they slept together. But apparently when she found out that Carly had no knowledge of what happened she came clean and then left town for good. Joss was furious with her father and refused to speak to him. Carly was upset as well. She wasn't pushing for Joss to talk to her father. As far as she was concerned, she was just fine if Joss never wanted to see him again

A week before their scheduled court date for the custody of Jake, Franco had kidnapped Tom Barker, Elizabeth's rapist and put him in a cage. He tortured him for two days before he ended the man's life. The real Franco was back in all his glory. It took the police less than two days to put it all together and they found the body at Franco's old studio. Elizabeth was completely shocked. For months, she had been defending him to everyone around her and she was made a fool. Sam thought she had finally seen the light about that man. Once the judge found out that she had been letting Franco around Jake, he ruled in favor of Jason and Sam. They were awarded full legal and physical custody of Jake and Liz was allowed only supervised visits with him at Sam and Jason's convenience. Sam and Jason talked it over and had decided that she could see him for a few hours once a week but that stopped as soon as they found out Elizabeth was visiting Franco in jail, waiting for his trial to start. Jason had an odd reaction to finding that out. It was like he was glad. He told Sam that now she would never be allowed near Jake and that was what he really wanted. Jake had an issue with it at first but after her found out the truth from some kids at his school, he was so upset with his mom that he didn't want to see her either. He missed his brothers but he saw them at school every day and Lulu and Laura brought them by occasionally when they had them.

Sam walked into the living room and stopped in her tracks, taken aback by the sight in front of her. Jason was sitting on the sectional with his legs up and Melody was asleep on his chest. He was absently patting her back softly, eyes aimed at the television. Jake and Danny were seated on the floor in beanbag chairs in front of the TV and they were both watching something on their tablets they had gotten for Christmas. Her boys and her baby girl. Her family. She smiled and walked further into the room. Jason took notice of her and returned her smile. She slowly sat down next to him, not wanting to disturbed her daughters nap. She braced her elbow on the back of the couch and leaned her body close to his, laying her free hand on her baby girl's back. Sam closed her eyes and felt Melody breath in and out. The absolute best feeling in the world. She smiled as her daughter's mouth tipped up behind her pacifier for just a moment. Jason laid his hand on her thighs and asked "Did you have a nice nap?"

Sam smiled at him and said "Yes, thank you for letting me do that."

"Don't thank me. You were exhausted Sam. Can you please promise me to use the pump? If you do, then you I can feed her at night too and let you rest." He pleaded.

Sam melted inside, not only at his desire to want to help with the night feedings but also because he was always looking for ways to make it easier on her. "I will, but we will alternate. I don't want you getting too tired either." She said. He nodded before looking down to Melody "How long as she been asleep?" Sam asked.

"I think about an hour. I still think it is weird that she doesn't cry like a normal newborn should. She was just laying here on my chest and I looked down and she was out."

Sam giggled softly and said "She's just like you. Only makes a sound when she wants something. Or when something pisses her off."

Jason narrowed his eyes at her making Sam giggle again. Thy two settled into a comfortable silence as Jason watched some sports report on the TV and Sam looked down at the boys. She smiled thinking about how they had been with Melody. The loved her to pieces and took their jobs as big brothers seriously. Jake may already be one but this was different. He had a little sister and his protectiveness matched his fathers to a tee. She could not make a sound without one or all three of them jumping to see what she needed.

Melody started to wiggle against her daddy's chest and let them know she was awake. "She is probably hungry. It's been about 4 hours since she ate last." Sam said as she got up and Jason softly handed his daughter off to go and eat.

"Do you need anything?" Jason asked, standing up as well.

Sam shook her head "No, I'm fine."

"I'm going to start dinner then." Sam nodded her head and Jason kissed her before the two went their separate ways. Sam walked into the nursery that was just off to the side of her and Jason's room. She changed Melody first and then went into her and Jason's room. She got on the bed and settled Melody against her and relaxed back against the pillows. Sam stared down at her baby girl's face and ran her finger softly over her cheek. She had always thought that Danny had been her miracle baby. She didn't think she would ever have a chance to have another baby but then Danny came along and proved her wrong. But as she looked down to her daughter, she knew that this was a true miracle. She had been the missing piece in their family. The missing piece they never knew they needed until she was here. A little girl with her mother's hair and her father's eyes. Their sweet, sweet Melody.


End file.
